Closure devices



Nov. 22, 1960 c. F. LEACH CLOSURE DEVICES INVENTOR I Charies F. Leach Ill 7 1 til/VIII Filed NOV. 25, 1957 ll Ill/All ATTORNEY United StatesPatent CLOSURE DEVICES Charles F. Leach, 6431 Lakehurst, Dallas, Tex.Filed Nov. 25, 1957, Ser. No. 698,657

2 Claims. (Cl. 220-30.6)

This invention relates to closure devices.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application,Serial No. 657,538 filed May 7, 1957, now Patent No. 2,937,781, grantedMay 24, 1960.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved closuredevice.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved tamperproof closure device.

Another object of this invention is toprovide anew and improved tamperproof captive closure device.

Still another object is to provide a new and improved closure device forreceptacles or the like having a threaded portion by means of which theclosure device may be secured thereto.

Still another object is to provide a closure device of the typedescribed above which may be permanently secured to the, receptacle andbe movable between a closed position wherein it closes the opening ofthe receptacle and an open position wherein the opening of thereceptacle is open to permit substances to be inserted into or removedfrom the receptacle through the opening.

A still further object is to provide a new and improved closure deviceof the type described above which may be screwed on the threaded portionof the receptacle into closed position and which may be unscrewed to anopen" :1 vice of Figure l; I

position.

Another object is to provide a new and-improved closure device of thetype described above which has a retainer portion slidably and rotatablymountedon a receptacle and a top portion resiliently secured to the re-.tainer portion which may be screwed on a threaded portion of thereceptacle.

Still another object is to provide a new and improved unitary closuredevice having a retainer portion permauently securable to a receptacleor the like and having an internally threaded top portion pivotallysecured to the retainer portion.

Still another object is to provide a new and improvedclosure device ofthe type described above wherein the retainer portion is provided with alower internal flange positionable on the lower side of an externalflange of the receptacle whereby the retainer portion is secured to thereceptacle.

Still another object is to provide a new and improved closure device ofthe type described above wherein the internal flange of the retainerportion is adapted to be distorted in one direction to permit passagethereof over the external flange of the receptacle in one direction butwhich resists distortion in the opposite directionwhereby the retainerportion may be easily mounted on ceptacle but cannot be easily removedtherefrom.

Still another object is to provide a new and improved closure devicehaving a retainer portion provided with means for permanently butmovably securing it to a re ceptacle and a top portion pivotallyconnected to the re-. tainer portion, the closure device being rotatableas a. whole to move the top. portion to receptacle closing -andreceptacle opening positions.

the re 2,961,119 Patented ov. 22,1960

Another object is to provide a closure device which will provide visualindication of having been opened.- Still another object is to provideanew and improved closure device, of the type described above, whereinthe top portion is connected to the retainer portion by a connectingpivot portion whereby the top portion may pivot about an axisperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the retainer portion.

A further object is to provide a new and improved closure device, of thetype described above, wherein the top portion and the retainer portionare provided with means releasably preventing pivotal movement of thetop portion relative to the retainer portion and givinga visualindication of having been opened once such pivotal open ing movement ofthe top portion has occurred.

A still further object of the invention is to provide 'a new andimproved closure device, of the type described connecting link.

I another.

A still further object is to provide a new and improved closure device,of the type described above, wherein the top portion is'provided with anannular recess for receiving the'top end portion of a container itcloses to provide three separate sealing contacts between the topportionand the container. 1

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the inven-' tion may be hadby referring to the following description and claims taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing in which like parts aredesignated by like refmodified form of the closure device; and,

erence characters and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a closure device embodying theinvention; 1 Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the closure de-Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line-3-3 of Figure 4; 1 Figure 4is a-vertical sectional view of the closure devic'ein closed position ona receptacle; g

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view showing the closure, device afterthe connecting link has been separated andi the closure'device rotatedto unscrew the top portion, from the receptacle; "Figure 6 is ahorizontal sectional view showing (a;

another modified form of the closure device. p Referring nowparticularly to Figures 1 thru 4 of the drawing, the closure device 10is shown mounted on the neck 11 of a receptacle or container 12. Theclosure de-'.- vice 10 is preferably formed of a single piece ofsuitable" resilient substance, such as plastic, and includes a tubu larretainer portion 15 and a top portion 16 connected to the retainerportion by a substantially flat connecting link portion 17. The retainerportion 15 is provided with" an annular flange 20 on its lower end whichis disposed below an external downwardly curved flange 22 of neck 11v ofthe receptacle 12. The lower flange 2t} preferably curved arcuatelyinwardly and upwardly so j that itdistorts or flexes easilyupwardly whenengaged by the upper convex arcuate surface.23 of the external flange.

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view showing stil l' 22, as theretainer portion 15. of. the closure deviceiis pressed on the neck 11but resists anyvdistortion andany.

movement in the opposite direction on the neck 11 when a,9e1,119, p a

3 it engages thelower concave surface 24 of the external flange.

It will thus be seen that the retainer portion 15 may beeasilypressed orforced. down overthe neck 11 to the pos tion'showniinFigures 4 and ,5,the arcuate surfaces of the internal'flange 20 of the retainer portionand of the external flange 22 of the neck 11 cooperating to flex ordistort the lower flange outwardly during such downward movement of theretainer portion 15 over the neck 11 of the receptacle'or container. Itwill be apparent that the retainer portion is movable vertically on theneck 11, its upward movement being limited by the engagement of theflanges of the retainer portion and of the 1:teck and that the retainerportion is rotatable on the nec i The top portion 16 has a downwardlyopening threaded bore 25 which is adapted to receive the threadedportion 26 of the neck 11 of the receptacle to close the upper endthereof. The top portion, is also provided with an internal stopperportion 27 extending inwardly in the bore and spaced from thecylindrical wall thereof to provide an annular channel 28 in which thetop most end of the neck 11 of the receptacle is received. Thecylindrical wall 29 of the stopper portion 27 and the cylindrical wall30 of the top portion abut the inner and outer surfaces of the top endportion of the neck 11 whereby a fluid tight seal is obtained to preventpassage of fluids between the top portion 16 and the neck 11 of thereceptacle. It will thus be seen that the top portion 16 provides threeseparate sealing surfaces 28, 29 and 30 which provide an optimum sealingof the container.

The top portion 16 is held in axial alignment with the retainer portion15 bya separable connecting link 32 positioned diametrically oppositethe connecting pivot portion 17 between the top portion 16 and-theretainer portion 15 and integral therewith. The outer surfaces of thetop portion and the retainer portion are free of protuberances andpresent a smooth continuous surface.

In use, the closure device 10 is positioned on the neck 11 of thereceptacle as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the internal annular flange 20of the retainer portion and the external flange 22 permitting limitedaxial movement of the closure device on the neck of the receptacle. Whenit is desired to open the receptacle, the connecting link 32 may firstbe separated by inserting a cutting. instrument in one of the slots 33disposed between the links 17 and 32 and then separating the connectinglink 32. The entire closure device may then be rotated to unscrew thetop portion 16 from engagement with the threaded portion 26 of the neck11 During such rotational movement of the entire closure device, the topportion and the retaining portion move upwardly on the neck 11 until thetop portion is out of engagement with the'threaded portion 26 and isfree to pivot to the open position.

The closure device can be easily moved to a positively closed positionby pivoting the top portion about the pivotportion 17 back to itsoriginal position and then rotating the entire closure device to causethe top portion to screw on the threaded portion of the neck 11. Theclosure device remains captive to the receptacle even after having beenopened, since the retainer portion flange 20 and the external flange 23of the container or receptacle prevent removal of the closure devicefrom the receptacle.

It. will be apparent that the closure device 10 is a tamper proofclosure device since the container or receptacle can be opened to removethe contents therefrom only by separating or breaking the connectinglink 33 which will then give an obvious visual indication that thereceptacle has been opened. At the same time, the closure device permitsreclosing of the receptacleeven though the closuredevice has once beenopened. The closure dcvice-10' may also be moved to .open position byfirst rotating the entire closure device to unscrew the top por tion 16from engagement with the threaded portion 26 of the neck 11 and thenexerting a strong lateral twisting force on the side of the top portionopposite to the pivot portion 17 to forcibly separate the connectinglink 32 apart thus freeing the top portion for pivotal movement aboutthe pivot portion 17.

In order to facilitate such. separation of the connecting link 32, itmay be made of a thickness substantially smaller than that of the topportion'of the retainer portion. In Figure 6 is illustrated a modifiedform of the closure device illustrated in Figures 1 thru wherein thesingle connecting link 32 of the closure device is replaced by aplurality of circumferentially spaced conmeeting links 32a which are ofsubstantially lesser thickness than the single link 32. If desired suchlinks 32a may be threadlike in configuration. The connecting links 32aare separated with an instrument or are broken by a strong twistingmovement of the top portion 15 relative to the top retainer portion 16in the same manner as described above.

In Figure 7 is illustrated still another modified form of the closuredevice wherein the single connecting link 32 of the closure deviceillustrated in Figures '1 thru 5 is replaced by a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced connecting links 32b which are spaced inwardlyfrom the outer peripheral surface of the top portion and of the retainerportion whereby a groove is defined thereby which facilitates insertionof a cutting instrument between the top portion and the retainerportion. In addition, the links 32b are of lesser thickness than eitherthe link 32 or the links 32a whereby a force of lesser degree 1 mayaccomplish the separating of the connecting links.

It will now be seen that a new and improved closure device has beenillustrated and described which includes a retainer portion slidablymounted on the receptacle for limited axial movement thereon and a topportion integrally connected with the retainer portion and threadedlyconnectable with the receptacle. It will also be apparent that the topportion is screwed on the receptacle when in the closed position andthat it remains captive to the receptacle, and cannot be separatedtherefrom even after having been unscrewed since it is integrallyconnected to the retainer portion by the hinge portion andsince theretainer portion is held on the neck of the receptacle by the engagementof its internal annular flange 20 with the external annular flange 22 ofthe receptacle.

It will also be seen that releasable means, such as the connecting links32, 32a, and 32b have been provided to hold the top portion in closedposition and in axial alignment with the retainer potrion. It will alsobe apparent that the top portion may be pivoted to an open position outof axial alignment with the retainer portion once the connecting links32 have been separated from the retainer portion.

It will also be seen that the entire closure device may besimultaneously horizontally and vertically movable on the containerduring opening and closing operations, and also when the top portion isfree of the threads of the receptacle.

It will also be apparent that the closure device 10 may be formed of asuitable resilient plastic, preferably molded as a single integral unit.

It will also be seen that the new and improved closure devicesillustrated and described are easily and permanently mounted on anyreceptacle having a threaded end portion and an external flangepositioned remote from the end portion, the lower flange of the retainerportion flexing as the retainer portion is telescoped over such endportion and external flange but engaging such external flange when theretainer portion is moved in the opposite direction to prevent removingthe closure device from the end portion of the receptacle. It will thusbe seen that a closure'device has been illustratedhnd described which iscaptive to the receptacle but has a top portion which is disengageablefrom the receptacle while still captive to it to permit dispensing ofsubstances from such container.

It will also be apparent that the closure device may be employed onreceptacles of various shapes and sizes such as collapsible tubes, jars,bottles and the like.

It will be apparent that various changes and modifications may be madein the above illustrated and described forms of the invention Withoutdeparting from the invention and it is intended in the appended claimsto cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the truespirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. In combination with a receptacle having a threaded end portion and anexternal flange disposed near said threaded end portion, a closurecomprising: a retainer portiong telescopable over said end portion;means on said retainer portion engageable with said external flange toprevent removal of said closure device from said receptacle, saidretainer portion being mounted on said receptacle for limitedlongitudinal movement relative to said end portion; a top portionconnected to said retainer portion by a flexible member integral withsaid top portion and said retainer portion, said top portion beingthreaded whereby it may engage said threaded end portion to close saidreceptacle, said means on said retainer portion being adjacent one endthereof remote from said top portion; and releasable means securing thetop portion to the retainer portion against pivotal movement reltaive tosaid retainer portion about said flexible memher.

2. The closure device of claim 1 wherein said releasable means comprisesa severable means connecting said top portion to said retainer portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS639,832 Shearman Dec. 26, 1899 2,043,226 Beider et al June 9, 19362,114,925 Kaneshige Apr. 19, 1938 2,168,822 Fink Aug. 8, 1939 2,581,849Fisch Jan. 8, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 710,149 Germany Sept. 5, 1941 472,739Canada Apr. 10, 1951 664,847 Great Britain Jan. 16, 1952

